Darwinism
From RationalWiki
The word Darwinism is shorthand for evolution by natural selection, named after Charles Darwin, the primary scientist behind the theory. The nuances of its use is, to an extent, dependent on who is using the term.
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[edit] Who uses it
To some, mainly in the USA, Darwinism is a derogatory phrase used by creationist and intelligent design proponents to describe evolution;[1] while to others — including Richard Dawkins, a foremost authority on the subject — it is simply a synonym for evolution.[2]
Various permutations of the term bump around the Internet and blogs, such as Darwinist to describe a vocal proponent of evolution, or neo-Darwinism, an attempt to somewhat overcome the main objection to the phrase. Darwinian evolution is sometimes used to distingush natural selection from other ideas regarding evolution, such as Lamarckian evolution.
[edit] Problems with the term
The main problem with this term is that science is about evidence and not personality cults, so naming a branch of science directly after its inventor or discoverer is a dubious practice at best. While great contributors to a field of study are respected, they are not worshiped and revered like gurus. It is interesting to note how this mentality of describing Darwin as the supposed "worshiped father of evolution" reflects the creationists' need for a worshiped father figure to be the head of everything. It is like calling any one who accepts gravity exists "Newtonists" or those who accept relativity "Einsteinians" or "Galileans" — as if the way that the universe works is a world view, passed down and declared from on high. Although Charles Darwin is a seminal figure in the modern theory of evolution, and his contribution is certainly recognized, there have been over 150 years of advancements since his initial publication of The Origin of Species - the study of evolution has expanded well beyond Darwin's original works and the ideas he outlined, namely that evolution can now be described in terms of DNA, something that Darwin was unaware of.
While it is certainly true that the "ism's" which are based on people's names (such as Thatcherism, Marxism, and Confucianism) obviously base their thoughts largely or entirely on the writings or thoughts of those individuals, the same cannot be said of "Darwinism". Therefore to think that a modern evolutionary biologist would hang on every word Darwin said as unchangeable gospel is certainly a parody of science that has no basis in reality.
[edit] See Also
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ From the Beagle to the School Board: God Goes Back to School, Morris Sullivan, Impact Press, Spring 2005.
- ↑ Richarddawkins.net See front page
